102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB4207

 

Introduced 4/6/2022, by Sen. John Connor

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 230/5-25

    Amends the School Construction Law. Provides that the eligibility standards for school construction project grants shall not include minimum enrollment requirements (instead of including minimum enrollment requirements for eligibility for school construction project grants of 200 students for elementary districts, 200 students for high school districts, and 400 students for unit districts). Removes provisions concerning the total enrollment of member districts forming a cooperative high school.


LRB102 27198 RJT 38794 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB4207LRB102 27198 RJT 38794 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Construction Law is amended by
5changing Section 5-25 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 230/5-25)
7    Sec. 5-25. Eligibility and project standards.
8    (a) The State Board of Education shall establish
9eligibility standards for school construction project grants
10and debt service grants. These standards shall not include
11minimum enrollment requirements for eligibility for school
12construction project grants of 200 students for elementary
13districts, 200 students for high school districts, and 400
14students for unit districts. The total enrollment of member
15districts forming a cooperative high school in accordance with
16subsection (c) of Section 10-22.22 of the School Code shall
17meet the minimum enrollment requirements specified in this
18subsection (a). The State Board of Education shall approve a
19district's eligibility for a school construction project grant
20or a debt service grant pursuant to the established standards.
21    For purposes only of determining a Type 40 area vocational
22center's eligibility for an entity included in a school
23construction project grant or a school maintenance project

 

 

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1grant, an area vocational center shall be deemed eligible if
2one or more of its member school districts satisfy the grant
3index criteria set forth in this Law. A Type 40 area vocational
4center that makes application for school construction funds
5after August 25, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act
696-731) shall be placed on the respective application cycle
7list. Type 40 area vocational centers must be placed last on
8the priority listing of eligible entities for the applicable
9fiscal year.
10    (b) The Capital Development Board shall establish project
11standards for all school construction project grants provided
12pursuant to this Article. These standards shall include space
13and capacity standards as well as the determination of
14recognized project costs that shall be eligible for State
15financial assistance and enrichment costs that shall not be
16eligible for State financial assistance.
17    (c) The State Board of Education and the Capital
18Development Board shall not establish standards that
19disapprove or otherwise establish limitations that restrict
20the eligibility of (i) a school district with a population
21exceeding 500,000 for a school construction project grant
22based on the fact that any or all of the school construction
23project grant will be used to pay debt service or to make lease
24payments, as authorized by subsection (b) of Section 5-35 of
25this Law, (ii) a school district located in whole or in part in
26a county that imposes a tax for school facility or resources

 

 

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1purposes pursuant to Section 5-1006.7 of the Counties Code, or
2(iii) a school district that (1) was organized prior to 1860
3and (2) is located in part in a city originally incorporated
4prior to 1840, based on the fact that all or a part of the
5school construction project is owned by a public building
6commission and leased to the school district or the fact that
7any or all of the school construction project grant will be
8used to pay debt service or to make lease payments.
9    (d) A reorganized school district or cooperative high
10school may use a school construction application that was
11submitted by a school district that formed the reorganized
12school district or cooperative high school if that application
13has not been entitled for a project by the State Board of
14Education and any one or more of the following happen within
15the current or prior 4 fiscal years:
16        (1) a new school district is created in accordance
17    with Article 11E of the School Code;
18        (2) an existing school district annexes all of the
19    territory of one or more other school districts in
20    accordance with Article 7 of the School Code; or
21        (3) a cooperative high school is formed in accordance
22    with subsection (c) of Section 10-22.22 of the School
23    Code.
24A new elementary district formed from a school district
25conversion, as defined in Section 11E-15 of the School Code,
26may use only the application of the dissolved district whose

 

 

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1territory is now included in the new elementary district and
2must obtain the written approval of the local school board of
3any other school district that includes territory from that
4dissolved district. A new high school district formed from a
5school district conversion, as defined in Section 11E-15 of
6the School Code, may use only the application of any dissolved
7district whose territory is now included in the new high
8school district, but only after obtaining the written approval
9of the local school board of any other school district that
10includes territory from that dissolved district. A cooperative
11high school using this Section must obtain the written
12approval of the local school board of the member school
13district whose application it is using. All other eligibility
14and project standards apply to this Section.
15(Source: P.A. 101-455, eff. 8-23-19.)